Stockholm Syndrome
by Can't Blink
Summary: AU for KotM. Rodan puts up a hell of a fight against Ghidorah and taken into their captivity, he tries to maintain his hateful views towards the alien. But how long will that defiance last when he starts thinking Ghidorah isn't all that bad?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: First fanfic here. I'm not good at coming up with titles. This story does keep a bit to the actual movie but diverges a lot, especially going forward. Enjoy!

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It was the sound of his own kind that awoke him. A sound that had his heart rise as he pulled himself from depths of the now erupting volcano.

It's been so long since he's been in the presence of another of his own kind. There was a time, a millennia ago, where he had his mate by his side. She has long since been lost to him, fallen in a hunt gone wrong by the writhing aquatic Nope Rope known as Manda, but hearing this call filled him with the misplaced hope that she has somehow returned to him.

It sounded so familiar…

Alas, as his eager eyes scan the island surrounding his volcanic nest, he saw no sign of her. Nor of anyone else of his kind. Yet he still heard the call.

Was he mistaken? No, his instincts knew better. It was unmistakable, but then where was it coming from?

Perhaps The Other needed help finding him? Perhaps they were alone like him and desperately searching like he once did after he lost his mate. His past calls for companionship were never answered, shattering his spirits after centuries of trying and failing to locate another of his own species. Sure, he had other friends like Godzilla and Mothra, but it just wasn't the same. He felt isolated and utterly alone, even resorted to going dormant in his nest from the grief. But right here, right now, he can save this newcomer from the same heartbreak he had to endure. He lets out his own call, spreading his wings as if it'll help his voice carry further. The calls that woke him faded seemingly in response and he folded his wings. They were surely on their way to meet him and he awaits their arrival eagerly.

What would The Other be like? Fledgling or adult? Male or female? Would they be a friend? A potential mate even? At this point, he didn't care. As long as he had SOMEBODY to share a volcano with.

Instead of The Other, there were strange small creatures flying by him. These were significantly larger than any other flyer he was used to seeing in this area, although they were still dwarfed by his own immense size. They were obnoxiously noisy as well, their scent odd, and their wings stiff. How were they staying aloft?

His curiosity was interrupted when the creatures attacked him, spitting fire at him. More startled than hurt, annoyance begins to creep into his mind as the strange creatures continued to fly around and pelt him with their fire. None of it could penetrate the natural armor melded into his skin as volcanic rock.

Foolish creatures. Are they being serious in attacking one that is clearly their superior?

His eyes lock onto a much larger flyer that the smaller ones seem to be following. Their Alpha, perhaps? Perhaps he had disturbed their nest and this was some poor attempt at driving him away. Unfortunately for them, Rodan was not one to give up his territory easily, nor was he one to ignore a challenge. He was confident he can annihilate these things before The Other arrives.

Spreading his wings and taking a few steps from his molten nest of lava, his wings caught grip of the windy air and he was aloft with ease that defies his size. Building speed as he glided from the mountain side, he paid no more mind to the destruction he caused to the humans below than you would feel for an anthill kicked over during a morning jog.

The Alpha flyer was running away from him at this point, trying to use the clouds as cover, but he wasn't going to let them get away. In his mind, one should always finish a fight they started. To run away after dealing the first blow was cowardice and deserving of punishment.

Seeing his pursuit of their Alpha, the smaller flyers circled back around to face him, shooting more fire at him. This was more he liked it! Lifting his wings, he brought them down in a powerful stroke, feeling the impact of these creatures on his wingtips as he shoots upwards into the air with incredible speed. Their hard exoskeletons erupted into flames on impact, no doubt a last ditch defense mechanism. He was unaffected by this; the title of Fire Demon was given to him for a reason.

Swooping down towards the small army, demonstrating his superior aerial prowess, he gripped onto two of the flyers in his talons. They did not struggle in his grip and he leaned down to bite into one. After such a long sleep, he could use a snack. His toothed beak crushed through the exoskeleton easily, unfaltered by the defensive explosion, but instead of flesh, he was met with inedible metal.

Almost as if in disgust, he tosses both of the crushed creatures into the water. These things weren't even alive. Were they even natural?

But whatever they are, they were very persistent. He felt a shower of projectiles strike his armored skin, no more effective than being pelted by sand grains. One of the flyers was directly by his head and he opened his beak to bite into it. Something shot up from it, and he snapped at it instinctively.

This time he was met with flesh. Flesh that tasted familiar.

Humans. These things were humans piloting metal birds. Where did they get the gall to attack him? He rarely paid any attention to humans, but when he did, he found they treated him with fearful respect, borderline worship. In his time lying dormant, have they grown arrogant and have forgotten their place? Time to remind them. Catching up to another of the flyers, he watched as they veer off in a barrel roll maneuver. He couldn't stop a smirk gracing his beak.

He can do that too, and he can do it better.

Lifting one wing while slamming down with the other, he put himself into his own barrel roll, feeling the humans explode on impact with his wings. He took out the entire swarm with this and he stabilized himself just as he almost meets the ocean. Talons raking the water, he used the ocean's surface tension to launch himself back up to speed. He still has the large flyer to finish, the human's Alpha. Destroy it, and he'll put these arrogant humans back in their place.

It was flying straight into the darkened clouds of a storm, no doubt hoping to hide. He wasn't deterred, closing in on the large vessel. The air around them grew heavy and he can feel the static with each stroke of his wings. The thought of potentially being struck by lightning did not faze him.

Almost got it...

He extended his talons, claws a mere second from his target when his eyes caught sight of a very large silhouette dead ahead. Startled, his body instinctively pulled away in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision. The human's Alpha was ignored for the time being as Rodan circled back and around, looking over his shoulder to see what he almost slammed into.

Was it The Other, finally here to greet him?

The lightning flashes revealed a very distinct shadow in the clouds. Large wings, two tails, three long necks. It was unmistakable.

Ghidorah.

That was impossible. Last he saw, Ghidorah was pulled into the water of the Antarctic icecap and left to freeze in the ice. He saw it himself; he, Mothra, and Godzilla managed to gang up the dragon until it all ended when Ghidorah fell into the water. Godzilla finished them off, dragged their unconscious body under the ice to remain imprisoned. It was a terrible battle, the participants left injured and exhausted. But he saw what he saw, and this monster shouldn't be here.

Well, given how this creature fell from the heavens, from the cold vacuum of space, who's to say that being frozen for millennia would faze them. Now they're back and Rodan had a decision to make.

Flee, find Godzilla and Mothra, tell them what he saw and hope they believe him, or…

Ghidorah was heading straight towards his island, his home. There was no mistaking it; Ghidorah heard his responding call to The Other, recognized his voice, and was bee lining straight for him. Looking for a fight. One on one.

So be it.

Swooping back around, Rodan bravely faced the alien creature. Perhaps he can deal with this himself, without getting the others involved. He had the superior aerial skills, he felt, and if he played his cards right, he can deal a devastating blow and finish this once and for all.

Imagine the bragging rights! He, Rodan the Fire Demon, single-handedly defeating the giant three-headed space dragon. Yeah, totally something he can rub Godzilla's face in.

The reality of the situation hits him almost as hard as Ghidorah did, the larger Titan's talons meeting his body first and knocking the wind right out of his lungs and wings. All three heads lunged forward simultaneously to bite into him and the shock of the fangs digging into his skin shook him out of his stunned state. Ripping himself away, he shrieked his defiance as he flew circles around the hydra, building up speed. Then he slammed his wings down and rocketed himself straight into Ghidorah's chest. The impact was tremendous, sending out waves through the clouds like a sonic boom.

All four sets of his claws dig into the dragon's scales as the sheer force of the blow knocks the larger Titan over onto their back, losing the wind from their wings and beginning to fall. Rodan had the advantage now and he had every intention of using it as he sank his razor-edged beak into flesh. He was biting at the base of the middle head's neck, having learned from previous confrontations that the middle head was the one in charge of the trio. Perhaps if he can rip it off…

Ghidorah seemed fully aware of what he was trying to do, and as Rodan went for another bite, the left head rushed to his brother's defense. Rodan felt fangs rake into his face, barely missing his eyes. He pulled away, kicking off from Ghidorah's falling form. But the giant pterosaur was not deterred and a second later, he rushed back to sink his claws into the hydra's underside once more.

But before he can resume his attempt to tear the main head's neck from his chest, he felt pain on his left wing as the right head clamped his jaws brutally into the flight finger and membrane, crunching through the armor. Rodan was about to retaliate when he felt similar pain in his other wing and saw the left head was following his brother's example.

This was very bad, especially when the right head yanked hard on his wing, forcing a shift in weight and allowing the dragon to right themselves in the air. Rodan struggled, trying to pull his wings from their jaws towards himself. But they weren't letting go and both gave brutal tugs that forced his wings outstretched.

Still resisting, it was no use as his wings were stretched and stretched further and he couldn't keep in a scream of pain. A flash of fear came into the pteranodon's mind; if they kept going, they were going to rip both his flight fingers from his hands, or worse, his wings from his body.

He could hear joyful cackling from the left head and Rodan glared up at the middle head, knowing he was at their mercy. The malicious glint in the dragon's eyes only pissed Rodan off even more and he lets out another shriek of defiance. The golden glow growing up the middle head's throat was unmistakable, and Rodan had only an instant to brace himself.

It wasn't enough.

Horrible pain erupted from his chest as the Gravity Beam slammed into him point-blank. For an instant, he was almost certain it would pierce him through, but his wings were released and the force instead drove him down towards the ocean. Even when the beam ceased, Rodan couldn't recover fast enough and he felt his body slam into the ocean with a giant splash and a cloud of steam.

His limp body was difficult to move as he sank, his wings that were a great asset in the air now a hindrance. He had no breath in his lungs, and his heart felt funny as the effects of Ghidorah's Gravity Beam lingered. His body felt numb and useless.

Was this how it was going to end? He woke up with the high hopes of meeting another of his kind after so long on his own, and now he's sinking towards the bottom of the ocean without ever having met his mystery friend. Did The Other even exist? Did Ghidorah somehow mimic the call to lure him out into this trap? That had to be the case, it was just too much of a coincidence not to be. The revolution was truly a bitter blow. The fact he was so desperate for the companionship of his own kind that he would let himself fall for such a trick...

Doesn't matter, he was done for. Soon, he'll drown and Mothra, Godzilla, all his other friends will never know what became of him. He should've gone to warn them instead, at least then, they wouldn't be caught off guard as he had…

A blue glow greeted his ever fading vision, and a large familiar figure rose up from the depths towards him. He felt himself get pushed upwards with great speed and his body erupted from the water's surface. Gasping for air, he blinked the water and blackness from his eyes. He saw familiar plates slicing through the water by him like a giant fin.

Godzilla. He's never been so happy to see him, the big oaf.

But now was not the time for happy reunions and he looked up to see no sign of Ghidorah. The dragon was off in pursuit of the human's Alpha, -the hell was that still doing here?!-, and he couldn't even say anything to his savior before Godzilla rushed in pursuit, disappearing below the water's surface once more.

With feeling beginning to return to his limbs, Rodan clumsily started flapping, trying to free himself from the water. It took a moment for his wings to move in sync with each other, and his talons half-heartedly kicked at the ocean surface to help in take-off. He was free from the water's grip and he glanced towards the direction of his island. It would be so nice to return to his nest and sleep this off like a bad hangover. Godzilla's here now, he's done what he could and he should let someone else take over.

No.

He was part of this fight and he needed to be there to see it through. Godzilla could use back-up just in case and although Rodan had little strength left to offer, he wasn't going to leave his friend to face this threat alone!

...

Seriously though, a nap sounded so good right now...

Giving a few more coughs, he denied himself the temptation and turned to fly towards the action. It seems like Godzilla has managed to catch up and drag Ghidorah into the water. The dragon seemed to be panicking, focused more on trying to escape than fighting back. Water was not Ghidorah's strong suit and let's not forget what happened last time they were dragged under. Rodan stuck around, circling a ways off from the skirmish. He was ready to intercept should Ghidorah manage to break free and try to take off.

Just as Rodan was feeling that victory was a certainty, huge green light engulfed the two fighters and he was able to see the struggling silhouettes before a massive explosion erupts. The shock wave crashes into him and almost throws him out of the sky and the sound was deafening and powerful. His body was engulfed in a blanket of pain, unfamiliar but agonizing pain that seem to tear at his very cellular structure.

He's been around Godzilla enough to know that move was NOT part of his arsenal. He's never seen Ghidorah use that attack before either, but the alien was less familiar to him. Perhaps it was something they deployed when under great desperation as they clearly were.

The water began to settle once more and Rodan, still wracked with pain, quickly noticed how the air seems to be getting thinner. His wings had to beat harder to stay aloft and it felt as though he was submerged again.

Because he couldn't breathe.

In a panic, he turned towards his only safe haven, his home, and tried to fly there as fast as he could. He was among the very fastest of the kaiju, but he was weakened, the pain was only getting worse, and his body was suffocating. He felt so heavy as his wings pounded against the air towards home.

Behind him, another explosion sounded, and he heard the unmistakable call of Ghidorah. He only offered a glance towards the dragon, whom was making a bee line for his island as well. But unlike Rodan, the hydra did not seem to be struggling. This only added to his conviction that the dragon had something to do with the lack of air. Made sense; unlike them, Ghidorah wasn't required to breathe so why wouldn't they exploit that to escape a tight situation?

There was no sign of Godzilla.

His vision was getting dark again and his wingbeats were slowing. But as he drew closer to home, the air was slowly but surely returning to his lungs. Gliding the rest of the way, he pretty much crashed on the shore of the island, gasping for breath. He could breathe again and the pain tormenting his entire body slowly began to ease off. It seemed Ghidorah's attack, or whatever the hell that was, only had a small range.

So, about that nap...?

He looked up towards his volcano, to find Ghidorah coming in for a landing. Even through his body's attempts to recover, he felt indignation as the dragon landed on HIS nest! But something's wrong.

He noticed one of the heads was missing from the battle. The left one. Though it wasn't the middle like he was trying for, at least it meant one less set of jaws to worry about. The loss of that head must've been what triggered the suffocating blast.

Sitting upon the rim of the volcano, bathed in the heat and glow of the lava, Ghidorah certainly seemed to be in a great deal of pain, even crying out in torment. At first, Rodan thought it must've been from burning. But that made no sense, as he was well aware Ghidorah can tolerate the heat just fine. But the reason for Ghidorah's agony became clear.

To his horror, he saw the missing head growing back, fueled by the radiation of his volcano home. It was an unpleasant process for the hydra certainly, the main head even barking for the regrowth to hurry up after tearing off its protective membrane. But the pain was one they recovered from quickly as the regeneration completed itself and they wasted no time in letting out a powerful roar with wings outstretched.

The roar made Rodan even angrier. It was an alpha call, declaring victory over the previous alpha and claiming the world as their own. What victory did this dragon earn? Just because they managed to run away from Godzilla like a coward, they think they can waltz into his home and steal his shit? Steal his world? Hell no!

Without even waiting to fully recover, the short-tempered pterosaur let out a responding screech, making known his defiance. Making known to the other titans that heard the call that the so-called 'Alpha' still had one challenger left.

He was heard loud and clear, and Ghidorah looked down towards him from the volcano's smoldering summit. Rodan held his glare towards the three-headed dragon, trying not to show weakness although his wings and legs were still trembling from his exhaustion.

He can hear the three heads making chittering sounds amongst themselves, speaking words he did not understand. Having originated from space, Ghidorah often spoke a foreign language. But they, -particularly the middle head-, learned very quickly and they have taken to earth's kaiju language quite readily in their time here, although a heavy accent remained prevalent.

The chittering and muttering stopped and with a powerful kick from the volcano's peak, they glide down towards the weakened pterosaur. Body tense, Rodan was prepared for another fight and made a pre-emptive lunge with his beak snapping, wings flaring open. Ghidorah was not deterred, ignoring the beak biting into their scales as their claws grabbed onto the shoulders of the pterosaur and used the momentum to slam the defiant Titan into the ground. They slid a distance, Rodan's back leaving a deep scorched furrow into the earth. Any flammable material that came into contact with the downed flyer immediately burst into flame around them.

Through his pain and exhaustion, Rodan nonetheless continued to struggle valiantly, still not relinquishing the grip his beak had on Ghidorah's underside, claws raking the golden scales and feet kicking. Ghidorah was well over 3 times Rodan's weight, more than enough to keep the thrashing pterosaur down.

To make matters worse, the damage Rodan was inflicting was healing very quickly, invigorated by the volcano's energy. Each bite, each scratch was stitching back together with nothing to show for his efforts. It was frustrating.

The right head struck down like a cobra, jaws clamping down onto Rodan's face and beak. Giving a cry of pain, Rodan's wings went from slashing at the hydra's scales to clawing at his attacker's face, yanking at his horns, trying to pull free. The right head did not let go, instead taking advantage of his grip to lift Rodan's head from the ground. With his body still pinned, the pterosaur can't help but think he was going to have his head torn off. And unlike Ghidorah, he wasn't going to be growing it back.

But that wasn't what the dragon had in mind and after a moment holding their victim in this uncomfortably painful position, he brought Rodan's head back down with brutal force.

Rodan's crests almost broke in half on impact, and the pain had him struggle all the more frantically. His head was not armored like the rest of his body and he was panicking at this point. His wings tried to flap but his efforts to fly were made useless by the talons digging even deeper into his flesh. Magma and blood began to flow onto the ground from his shoulders beneath him.

Another brutal slam of his cranium to the unforgiving ground puts an end to his struggles. His vision was black and for a moment, he couldn't feel anything. His wings were limp and twitching as his brain scrambled to pull itself back together.

Ghidorah's right head finally released Rodan, growling at him in an wordless message to stay down if he knew what was good for him. Rodan doesn't respond, trying to blink the blackness from his vision. It began to return after a moment and he saw the three-headed dragon looking down at him; right-head snarling, middle-head holding a cold malicious glare, and the left-head bearing a sadistic grin. The heavy weight was still pinning him down.

He was clearly in no position to continue this fight. He was beaten.

He glanced towards the ocean shore, eyes darting quickly along the water's surface. There was still no sign of Godzilla; as much as his sense of pride hated it, he really needed help right now.

But there was nobody coming to help him and his fate was at the nonexistent mercy of this three-headed space dragon. He can keep trying to fight, but what use was it doing for him? Other than causing more pain and exhausting him even further. It was clear he had no chance against Ghidorah on his own, and it was only a matter of time before Ghidorah got bored of his defiance and then what?

He will be killed. The last of his kind, gone. Extinct. Inevitable, perhaps, but today was not to be that day! His self-preservation was too strong. Just… stall. Stall until Godzilla comes bac-

"He is not coming back," the lead head of the hydra hissed at him when he saw the pterosaur glancing desperately towards the ocean. "He is dead."

Rodan felt a chilling jolt up his spine, but he tried to keep himself from displaying any further weakness. He glared at the dragon looming over him. "Bullshit." He felt the talons sinking deeper into his flesh and tried to hold back a wince.

"Perhaps then, you would like to see for yourself?" the middle head continued.

At this thinly-veiled threat, Rodan held his tongue, choosing instead to risk another glance towards the ocean. Keep stalling, preferably WITHOUT pissing them off and getting himself killed. _Come on, Goji, prove this asshole wrong._ But there wasn't the slightest disturbance of the surface, only the floating bodies of those struck by the blast. Godzilla couldn't possibly be one of them, right…?

He still chose not to look at the dragon as the hissing words continued. "He was struck point blank. Stunned. We watched him struggle for breath. We watched the life fade from his eyes as he sank to the bottom." Rodan tried to ignore those words, ignore the fact that he was starting to believe him. He didn't want to believe, but he too felt the force of that blast. He too struggled for breath and he barely made it out of range in time.

If Godzilla indeed lost consciousness…

The main head of Ghidorah leaned down close to Rodan's ear, as if to drive his next words more firmly into the pterosaur's skull. "Your king is dead," Rodan did not like the feeling of him speaking so close and clamps his eyes shut as if that'll help. "So now, you must bow to _me_ as your new ruler."

Something inside Rodan snapped and rage flowed over him like the magma within his volcanic home. He growled and snapped his beak towards the dragon's face, who seem to have expected this and pulled away. Rodan's beak only barely grazed against the scales of his snout. Invigorated with rage, Rodan struggled as he had before, clawing all the more viciously. He let out another defiant screech.

A shriek that was cut off when the short-tempered right head struck down again, jaws now clamping onto the pterosaur's throat. Teeth began crushing his windpipe, glowing orange magma beginning to seep from the bite. Rodan still fought, digging his claws into the scales of the neck, tearing long gashes that oozed black oil-like blood. It healed just seconds later and he was no more successful than his previous efforts to get him off.

He heard clicking of the middle head. "Be calm, Brother Ni. We want him alive, _for now_."

There was only a growl in response.

The grip was loosened slightly, easing off the windpipe and allowing for breath. Breath Rodan used to voice his anger as he glared with pure hatred at the leading head. "He was never my king, he was my FRIEND! And you killed him! What makes you think for even a second that I would EVER bow to you?! You're no king and you never will be!"

So much for not pissing them off…

He held his glare with Ghidorah, the silence that has fallen over them heavy and thick. He feels the grip on his neck tighten and then loosen again. It was clear that Ni wanted to clamp down with all brutality but did not wish to disobey his sibling. Said sibling never removed his cold eyes from Rodan's gaze.

Rodan saw a glint in those eyes, a brief yellow flash, and he felt his rage quickly being replaced with fear. A suffocating dread that seems to be emanating from the dragon themselves like a dark aura. What words Rodan was about to spit out were quickly silenced. He still doesn't remove his eyes from the hydra, the feeling of terror getting worse as Ghidorah spoke.

"You speak as if you have a real choice," he started. "You either serve me or suffer a cruel death."

"Either one works for us." The left head purred.

What was he to do now? Rodan could feel the hopelessness rising up in his chest, mingling with the very palpable fear. His anger was almost all used up, leaving him sapped. He became very aware of the pain in his neck, his shoulders, throughout his whole body. He was going to die very soon, he knew. Even if he submitted to the dragon, who's to say he won't be killed right after? Is this the fate of the rest of the kaiju?

He still couldn't comprehend that his best friend was dead…

His claws loosened from Ni's scales before letting go and he just let his wings go limp as he finally looked away from the dragon. There was nothing else he could do. His defiance was dwindling, the grief was setting in, and the fear that shoved itself so rudely into his head now strengthened his self-preservation. If it's a chance at life, then it's best to just give up. Maybe if he lasted long enough, he'll get some chance to get out of this situation…

He felt the grip on his neck disappear as Ni lets go, forked tongue licking the blood from his lips. Rodan doesn't struggle, remaining limp as Ghidorah stepped off of him. The thought to scramble up and take off flickered in the pterosaur's mind, but he knew better. The hydra was staring at him intently and obviously ready to strike him down before he even leaves the ground. Besides, where was he to run anyway?

The world belonged to Ghidorah now.

"Get up."

Rodan heard the command and contemplated ignoring them, a petty display of spite. A bad idea that was, he knew. He was well aware that his actions in the next few minutes would determine his fate. So, letting out a defeated breath, he righted himself onto his feet, embers falling from his wings and adding to the flames around him as he does so. Pain shot up from his wounded shoulders as he stood on all fours, the feeling of blood oozing down his back and chest. He refused to look at the dragon, his back to them.

"Turn around."

Why did this have to happen? Why him?

His movement was stiff and done with noticeable hesitance, eyes shifting to lock on the ground to avoid eye contact. The flames around him danced almost hypnotically, and he tried to keep himself distracted just watching the fire burn. But there was no distraction great enough to deafen the voice in his ears as the alien gave the command he saw coming a mile away.

"_Bow_."

How patient was this thing in front of him exactly? Because he really, REALLY wanted to ignore THAT order. But was it really wise to find out the answer to that question? He's pushed his luck enough as it was and he was beaten multiple times for it. Just... stop fighting and accept it. It'll be less painful that way.

It felt wrong though, completely and utterly WRONG. His eyes finally tear themselves from the flames to glance towards the ocean once more. But as he's come to expect, there was nobody there. No Godzilla. Nothing. His friend really was dead...

He turned a glare at the three-headed snake in front of him. This imposter, this false king. Although he can no longer fight them, he still wanted to make it perfectly clear just how much he hated them. If only looks can kill...

Ghidorah was already starting to growl at him, but it was unneeded. After a moment spent hoping the dragon would spontaneously burst into flames and die, Rodan lowered his eyes to the ground in front of him. Lowered his head. His wings. And bowed.

Wasn't it just a few moments ago when he said he would never do such a thing? Yet here he is. He's pathetic. He closed his eyes in utter defeat as Ghidorah let out that thundering alpha call again.

Only this time, Rodan did nothing to stop him.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I was so nervous putting my work out there, admittedly. I hope I continue to do good and that you guys enjoy this next chapter!

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The rain hasn't stopped, not since Ghidorah arrived.

It was rare that his island saw such torrential weather; it was usually hot and dry, just the way he liked it. The downpour was a bit uncomfortable against his magma-filled body, the cold droplets evaporating into steam upon contact with his skin with small hisses, but Rodan paid no mind. That discomfort was pale in comparison to the pain and turmoil whirling around inside him, as violently as the thunder storm raging above.

He was sitting atop his volcano nest, trying to recover from his wounds and shattered ego. His feet were perched upon one of the inner ledges and wing claws fastened onto the rim. Below him was a drop-off leading into a cavern where his nest resided. It was usually filled with magma, where he would submerge himself until only his head and upper beak broke the surface to breathe. The eruption that accompanied his awakening also emptied his nest of most of the magma, leaving only a small pool seeping up from beneath the Earth's crust. It would take time before it refilled, time Rodan wasn't sure he had this time around.

The warmth of his home, the familiar scent, hearing the sound of the liquid rock bubbling under him did little to comfort. There were still jolts of pain coming from his shoulders and throat, although the magma that once flowed from the injuries had since hardened into volcanic rock, acting as a scab as he healed.

He was so tired, and he wanted to fall asleep right here and now. Maybe when he woke up, he'll find this was all just a terrible nightmare and things can go back to what it once was. He can fly over to wherever Godzilla was and throw a rock at his head, like the good ol' days. The fuming expression that grumpy lizard would give him was worth the subsequent Atomic Breath to the face.

All in good fun, of course.

But he knew that this wasn't a nightmare. It was childish and delusional to think so. He really was the hostage of some alien freak and his hope for things getting better diminished by the second. So much of Rodan's time resting here was spent scanning the water's surface from horizon to horizon just hoping Ghidorah was wrong and Godzilla would come stomping onto the beach to confront the dragon. But the only thing that graced the shores of his island were the washed up bodies of those who died from the suffocating blast. Even then, Godzilla's body wasn't one of them and Rodan was denied any opportunity to pay proper respect to his deceased companion. All because of that damn alien bastard…

His eyes lowered down the slope of the volcano towards the remains of the human nest, where the hydra was currently located, and he scowled. He was being allowed rest, sure, but it was little consolation. He knew beyond his island, the world's balance was in chaos, as the dragon's first order was to destroy anything and everything. Rodan knew the other titans would obey them, not that anyone had any choice. This monster was letting off telepathic waves of fear and dread, felt even on the opposite end of the world.

It was especially powerful, being so close to them. Almost like a suffocating smog. Rodan tried his best to fight this mental manipulation Ghidorah was holding over him. Every instinct wanted him to get away from them, but he resisted it. He kept having to remind himself that he had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, the dragon wasn't allowing him any opportunity to make a break for it.

They did not trust him and he knew they wanted to keep him in their sight rather than letting him loose to do his own thing. Hell, they didn't even want him to head down into his nest cavern, instead having him remain in view at the summit of the volcano. He can see the right head glaring up at him almost constantly. Did he make them that nervous, that they thought it was necessary to keep him out of trouble to such an extent?

Displaced bravado, Rodan knew himself and he lowered his head with a sigh. He was their prisoner, their hostage, nothing more. They knew that he was friends with Godzilla and subjugating him was a final insult to the previous king's memory. If he ran, they would literally chase him down to the ends of the Earth and even if he could outfly them, he would tire eventually and no doubt be killed for the attempt. The other titans would probably be of no help, and if anything may capture him themselves to earn brownie points from their new king. He couldn't even trust his fellow titans. Well, except Mothra.

He wondered what she was doing. Has she fallen under Ghidorah's spell? She was a powerful telepath herself and wouldn't be affected by this artificial fear the dragon was creating... right? Even if she did, she wouldn't kneel to his commands, as she had an exceptionally strong bond with Godzilla as well as a special interest in the well-being of the humans. She wouldn't turn on them and who knows, maybe she was on her way right now to rescue him!

He shook his head slightly; to get his hopes up like that is foolishness. Mothra was no more powerful than Rodan was and even if they teamed up, without Godzilla, they still won't stand a chance against this monster.

Worse, what if Ghidorah decided to use him as leverage against her?

He let out another breath. He just wanted to sleep…

Resting his beak against the rim of the volcano, he watched the dragon below do whatever it was they were doing. They were moving among the human nest, whatever structure that remained intact from Rodan's previous flight was examined thoroughly. Ghidorah was looking for something, it seemed, but what could possibly be of any interest to the dragon in a human nest? They didn't seem to take any of the human machinery, so they weren't seeking to acquire their weird technologies.

It took a moment for Rodan to realize what the dragon was doing...

* * *

This was one of their favorite past-times.

Brittle stone structures crumpled to their feet as they moved through the roads and pathways weaving through the alien city. It was a tight fit, as this settlement wasn't made to accommodate a being of their immense size and strength. They mostly kept to the wider paths, but still had to crush several buildings to get around. Each of their ears were alert for the slightest sound beyond the thunder of lightning and their own footfalls. Ichi kept his head low to the ground, his eyes scanning any possible hiding places their victims may try to take refuge in.

Ni held his head higher than his lead brother, peering over the rooftops of the structures on the chance one of these tiny aliens would seek higher-ground. But mostly, the right head was keeping watch for any possible ambush and to make sure their little prisoner didn't try to foolishly take off from them. So far, the little fire pest made no attempt to do so, just staying on his precious volcano like a good slave. Shame he was being so well-behaved, Ni was looking forward to sinking his teeth into that defiant little neck again but he knew he would have his opportunity. Even if the bird cooperated for the duration of their stay here, he would be dead when they're done with this mudball of a planet.

As they climbed over one building that collapsed under their weight, Ichi took a moment to pause and peer into the windows of one of the larger structures in this desolate city. San paid no attention to the building himself, instead seeking out the nearest alley beside it and squeezing himself through it. This was what he normally did whenever they came to a halt: snake off into a narrower path to explore. For once, his eldest brother did nothing to discourage him. Indeed, this was one of the opportunities where Ichi found great use in his youngest sibling's insatiable curiosity. They've already found a couple of survivors in unlikely hiding places thanks to San's wanderings.

The rough texture of the stone scraped harmlessly against San's golden scales, his horns dragging furrows into the walls.

His forked tongue flickered out to touch the wet ground, picking up scents and tastes. This was San's favorite thing about visiting new planets; they always held such exotic wonder to his senses. His brothers didn't really get it. After all, what was the point in taking it all in if it was all going to be destroyed? No, they had their own interests that actually fell in line with their main goal.

Ni was more keen in partaking in combat with the local fauna and bore many scars and even a broken horn from some of their more worthy opponents. He was always the most observant of their surroundings in the battle field and the most eager to get up close and bloody with their adversaries. He was exceptionally brutal in his methods and mannerisms, not one to be taken lightly. Hell, even their old nemesis, the former king of this world, often made it priority to try to neutralize Ni as a threat.

Ichi was a fighter as well, but it was the act of conquest itself that he took special interest in. He derived great pleasure in figuring out the power dynamic of whatever planet they happened to land upon, then tearing it apart and placing himself at the top before moving on to the utter destruction of the world. This was what kept them here for as long as they had, Ichi's desire to dethrone the planet's Apex titan. Rarely did they stay in one spot long enough where learning the native language beyond the very basics was actually useful. Granted, it wasn't as if they were in any particular hurry, but they've been on this backwater planet longer than what was usual.

Not that San's complaining. He still had a lot of things to see here. He wasn't as much a fighter as his older brothers; no, it was something he did because he had to, although it was usually worth it when they inevitably win and got to enjoy the spoils of their victories. He especially liked when they focused on the smaller targets, ones that he can torment with little fear of retaliation. Targets like the little alien bugs that infested this planet and built these structures.

He came across a crumpled body of one such tiny alien, one of many that littered this city. They didn't know exactly what happened to this alien city before they got here, but as long as they still got to have some fun, it didn't matter. After a moment spent listening to Ichi's slow and deliberate movements, and Ni's constant deep rumble that assured them that the coast was clear and all was well, San flicked out his tongue again and licked up the body.

It was always hard for him to tell when he's allowed to lick and eat things; he usually just had to go for it and get bitten or yelled at whenever Ichi deemed it inappropriate. But it was alright this time, right? After all, his brothers got to eat back in that frozen wasteland, so why shouldn't he get a bite too?

No sooner did he do that than he heard a very soft sound, just barely above the sound of rainfall. His eyes moved from the ground to further down the alley. He saw a small alien ground vehicle, turned onto its side against the wall with the slightest bit of movement from inside. A small smirk graced his snout, his eyes glinting with predatory interest. Instincts spurred, he slowly moved forward as if stalking the immobile vehicle. It wasn't a silent approach, sure, but he didn't care. Whatever was there was dead either way, might as well PRETEND that it had a chance.

The movement inside the vehicle stopped as he moved towards it, as if the creature inside thought he hadn't noticed its previous actions. Reaching the overturned piece of metal, he sniffed it curiously before moving his head over the vehicle, tilting slightly so as to position one of his eyes to peer inside. There it is, a tiny little alien cowering in the back farthest from him.

Letting out a soft amused chitter, he poked the vehicle with his nose as gently as he could. He knew how fragile these aliens and their machinery were, but he still felt the metal creak and the glass beginning to give way at his nudging. The screams inside only encouraged him-

"Brother San."

It was Ichi, regarding him in their native tongue. He didn't need to look up to know his brother was waiting for him, as it was time to move on from this spot. Knowing he would likely want to share in the fun, San carefully tried to maneuver the vehicle away from the wall before he took the vessel into his jaws, his teeth piercing through the metal easily although he was being as delicate as he could. The scream inside got louder and he could feel the sides of the vehicle pushing against his jaws and tongue.

The alien was no doubt trying to open it to get out, but it was a fruitless effort. With their new toy secured, he went to back out an-

He was stuck...

His horns, facing backwards, were hooking into the walls and his attempts to pull himself out only dug them in deeper. Blinking, San began to wriggle, only making things worse for himself. All he had to do was move his neck and head upwards towards the empty space above the rooftops but he wasn't exactly the brightest star in the galaxy. He could almost feel his eldest brother glaring at him disapprovingly and he felt Ichi's snout nudge underneath the base of his neck and push him up. With his guidance, San was free. He shook the dirt and rubble from his scales, raising his head to show gratitude for his sibling's help, only to get a nip on the horns.

Yeah, he deserved that. But at least he got a prize!

He lifted his snout up pointedly at his brother, showing him what he's found. Ichi looked unimpressed at first, but when San only very slightly bit down on the vehicle, the resulting screams and whimpers had a smirk grow on the eldest dragon's muzzle. San needed no prompting to lower the vehicle towards the ground and he dropped it. He and Ichi proceed to nudge the hunk of metal around, pushing it along the road. The distress calls from within persisted and the alien inside seemed to try to push the doors open. But the damage done seemed to have trapped it inside.

Ichi carefully broke the largest of the glass windows, offering the alien a way out. He wanted it to have a shred of hope at escape, and he nipped at San to stop; the vessel had been turned over and the alien inside had gone quiet. The eldest brother peered into the windows, making sure their victim was still alive and capable of moving. It was visibly shaken and bleeding, but it dragged itself to the front of the vehicle away from him and towards the shattered window. _Very good, little alien._

He and San stay quiet, lying in wait for the alien to emerge from their toy. After a moment, movement from the shattered window caught their attention and the tiny creature crawled out of the wreckage. It was shaking and bloodied and making whimpers of distress that felt wonderful to their ears. It looked up at them, its little eyes filled to the brim with terror. San let out a trilling chuckle and Ichi smirked, sharp fangs flashing to scare the alien into running. But it didn't run, and it didn't even try to scramble up onto its feet.

It took Ichi making a false lunge for it to spur into action, snapping the air just short of the alien. It scrambled up and tried to flee, instead falling on its face. Oh, it was too injured to run. Such a shame, although Ichi felt it was getting late anyway so might as well wrap things up from here.

It was speaking to them, yelling out unintelligible words the hydra had no understanding of. It was a pleading voice, shaking almost as much as its body was. It only fueled the sense of smug superiority in Ichi, knowing the creature was begging for its life at his feet. There was a satisfaction in knowing whatever bargains it was making for them to spare it was going unheeded.

They let it simmer in this fear, a golden glow rising in both their throats as surges of electricity erupt from their chest towards their mouths. After a brief moment, letting the alien creature go quiet as the dreadful realization of its doom settled in, they both unleashed their Gravity Beams upon it.

It was reduced to ashes instantly, the vehicle it had previously taken refuge in now went up in flames with a loud explosion. The flames and destruction spread as Ghidorah brought their immense power over the rest of the city and this pathetic little island.

* * *

Seeing Ghidorah wreck havoc on his island, their Gravity Beams tearing through the human nest and the surrounding patches of forests, Rodan felt a familiar if not weary sense of agitation. Territorial instincts rose in his chest, knowing his home was being destroyed right in front of him. It was one thing to accidentally blow over the human nest; collateral damage was unavoidable and something Rodan was not bothered by. Any of the small critters that shared his island home just had to adapt. But there was no adapting to this, purposeful unprovoked annihilation.

He shouldn't be angry over this, right? Ghidorah is the Alpha, the... _king_. They could do as they pleased and it was not his place to question it.

Yeah, no, screw all that! If it were Godzilla doing this, Rodan would still be standing up to him regardless of the pecking order! This was HIS home, the only home he's known since fledging. This island held so many precious memories; he had his first and only mate here. This was where they were planning to have hatchlings together, a plan cut short by Manda's intervention. To have these memories, HER memories, tarnished by someone he already had such a strong hatred for...

The glowing edges of his wings were growing brighter from the building anger. He wanted so badly to swoop in and dive-bomb the shit out of the hydra, like an oversized magpie from hell.

But he can't, as he knew full well it wouldn't end in his favor. There was a difference between standing up to Godzilla and standing up to Ghidorah and that difference being that the latter would have no qualms in killing him. But his home was falling into ruin, and he had to do SOMETHING! But what?

His inner conflict and agitation must have been obvious, for the ever-observant right head stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment before speaking softly to his brothers. They were too far away for Rodan to hear, although he was certain they were speaking that stupid alien language of theirs anyway. He had yet to hear Ni speak in any other tongue than their own. He maintained eye contact with the lead head as all three looked up towards him.

Intense, unfaltering, rage-filled eye contact.

Eye contact the middle head still did not break as he spoke something towards his brothers, and at this cue, both left and right head unleashed another wave of Gravity Beams. Rodan flinched on instinct but it wasn't aimed at him. No, it was the destruction of the island that continued, and Rodan felt his rage increase. Ghidorah was still staring him down as they tore apart his home, as if goading him into doing something about it.

But there was nothing Rodan could do about it, and the dragon no doubt knew this. They were twisting the knife in deep and after a moment, the pterosaur couldn't watch it anymore. He finally broke the stare-down, turning his head away and trying to block out the sounds of his island falling apart.

He didn't know how much time has passed before the carnage around his volcano finally came to a stop and he risked a glance towards the hydra. He focused only on Ghidorah, not the burning wreckage around them. He didn't want to see the state his home was left in.

His volcano was the only thing he had now.

Without warning, the dragon spread their wings and with a powerful downstroke, lunged towards him. Rodan felt the ever-present fear intensify, but his anger outweighed it. Despite having this hostile creature that was three times his size rushing right for him, he stood his ground and braced himself for the impact, claws digging into the rocky rim of the volcano's mouth. But there was no impact as Ghidorah landed upon the volcano's slope, just short of him. Rodan's beak opened instinctively to hiss, and he had to crane his neck to look up at their faces as they towered over him. His wings twitched open a bit, careful not to flare out fully lest he loses his balance and falls into his nest. What an embarrassing move that would be.

Standing upright on their hind legs, Ghidorah rose their wings high and wide, their already immense size seeming to increase with this action. The sound of rattling erupted from their tails, and their necks held their heads up high. All three of them had their horns flared out, their eyes flashing under the lava's glow as they glared down at him. Against the thundering storm clouds in the night sky, the whole thing was the single most terrifying dominance display Rodan has ever seen.

Yet he still stood his ground. He did not retreat into the cavern below him. He did not take flight, nor did he scurry down the slope opposite of the hydra. He just glared up at the much larger titan, doing nothing to escalate the situation further but making clear that he was not submitting to them either. They almost seemed surprised by his gall, that he wouldn't cower back despite every advantage they had on him. They could kill him right now if they wanted, and both parties knew this, yet Rodan still doesn't yield.

After a moment, the middle head's lips curled back in a smirk but his voice was cold and toneless. "Bravery or idiocy?"

_Probably both, to be honest._ But Rodan didn't speak this thought out loud, instead trying to keep his own voice from faltering as he narrowed his eyes firmly at them. "Get off my volcano." _And my island... and my planet while you're at it. _

This earned a soft snort from Ni, as the middle head continued with a dangerous edge to his words. "_Your_ volcano?"

Rodan was almost blown right off the volcano's rim when Ghidorah slammed their wings down, the dragon leaping up into the air and slashing their talons into Rodan's shoulders and chest. Their claws reopened his wounds, left marks on his armor, and the pterosaur gave a startled cry of pain. The force pushed him off from his perch and he fell into the volcano. His wings flared open on reflex, his flight fingers scraping against the walls and unable to flare fully. Even if he had the ample room to do so, he had no time to right himself as the fall into his nest was a short one.

Crashing next to the molten pool of rock, shaking the mountain itself, Rodan felt the breath leave his lungs in a violent cough when Ghidorah landed atop of his chest and stomach. He wriggled on instinct, but he already knew from their last confrontation earlier that he wasn't going to get away from this. Still, it would be nice to be able to breathe properly, a luxury the dragon had no real interest in allowing him at the moment as they sneered down at him.

"Do you not understand that _nothing_ belongs to you?" the middle head hissed scornfully. "Or were you foolish enough as to think this pathetic little island would be spared while the rest of this world falls?"

Of course Rodan knew his island was doomed the moment Ghidorah claimed victory. But it was one thing to KNOW it'll happen and quite another to actually SEE it happen right in front of him. Instincts were instincts, not to be changed, and he felt that his rage at seeing his home get decimated was justified. As was his frustration at knowing he was powerless to stop it. And his despair, knowing that everything he's worked for in his life was for NOTHING.

Rodan has stopped wriggling at this point, trying to maintain a glare although he winced when Ghidorah shifted their weight for no other reason than to cause him greater discomfort. He snagged breaths sparsely, whenever he was given the slightest opportunity. It was barely enough.

"Just..." he managed to choke out. "Just finish the job already..."

Just rip off the band-aid, make the pain of losing everything fast and easier to swallow. That was the best he could hope for. But alas, asking Ghidorah to not torture him in such a fashion was a useless endeavor and he heard a snicker from the left head.

"We will," he started, trilling voice not quite as fluent in Earth's language but understandable enough. "But why waste good opportunities?" Rodan glanced over at the left-most head, whom was looking about his nest with a face that made the pterosaur awfully uncomfortable, moreso than usual. It didn't help when the left head chattered something to his brothers and Rodan cursed inwardly, trying to figure out what was being conveyed via context clues.

The middle head's face was unreadable, but he didn't seem particularly moved by whatever was being said. There was no sign of objection or disapproval either, just watching the other head talk from the corner of his gaze. When it was all said and done, he gave a soft snort before he narrowed his golden-red eyes at the little bird pinned beneath their body.

"Be grateful towards Brother San, slave," he hissed. Rodan REALLY didn't like being referred to as that, no matter how true it may be but he was given no time to object to the term as the dragon continued. "He wishes this volcano to be spared, for now."

"Wha...?" Rodan felt a spike of unease catching the word in his throat. He wasn't liking where this was going. He wanted his volcano to remain untouched, yes, but surely Ghidorah wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily, right? They're up to something and he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear just what they were planning. He had an idea as to what it was, but he didn't want to hear it.

"We are to rest here for the night." The middle head declared, to the pleasure of the now purring San. Rodan felt his heart drop, his fears confirmed and the plates of armor around his chest rising up a bit as if to emulate ruffled feathers. They were going to sleep in HIS nest?! Taint his home with their presence, their scent?!

Volcanoes were incredibly important to his species. Males especially were expected to keep one volcano their entire lives, defend it from usurpers and use it to attract mates. Only the mated pair and their hatchlings were allowed to reside within it. Not even Godzilla was allowed into Rodan's volcano, something his old friend was quite understanding of as long as Rodan gave him the same respect of not intruding his own nest (as if Rodan was interested in swimming around down there).

But this creature had NO such respect. To not only trash his island but then invite themselves into his nest was one of the biggest insults they could've done, much worse than just destroying it.

Then again, it was no longer HIS volcano, was it? He couldn't defend it if he tried; to do so is a battle already lost. If anything, HE was now the intruder in THEIR nest...

It was another bitter blow to his ego. First his best friend was killed, then his dignity stripped from him with humiliating defeats, his freedom ripped away, his island devastated, his nest stolen. Everything important to him was now gone.

When Ghidorah finally got off of him, as Rodan caught his breath, he almost didn't want to get up. Even with the dragon's weight now gone from him, he was still feeling a crushing sensation within him. What was the point of getting back up?

_Can't stay here,_ the instinct told him. It was proper etiquette among his kind, to immediately vacate a volcano that no longer belonged to you, and just because Ghidorah wasn't respecting the social norm of his species, doesn't mean he should, -or could-, forget it himself.

Rolling back over onto all fours, he did not have the room to take flight from here, which was fine. Instincts told him that his movements are to be slow and deliberate anyway so as not to provoke another attack. He hated this, he hated himself but he tried to remain dignified in his loss. He avoided meeting the dragon's burning gaze as he moved to the opposite side of the chamber; granted, there wasn't much room to work with given Ghidorah's great size. He reached up a wing to grab one of the ledges along the wall and began to pull himself up and out towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" he heard Ghidorah snarl and he doesn't even look back over his shoulder at them.

"It's _your_ volcano," he spat out like the words themselves were bitter. "You really expect me to stay in here?"

"Yes, we do."

He heard the response and he froze. His insides froze, his instincts confused about how he should be reacting to that. They couldn't possibly be serious! He was supposed to leave the nest, hang out OUTSIDE the volcano if they still wanted to hold him hostage. But to invite another adult into one's volcano, that- No! One simply did not do that! Not unless you're trying to invite them into...

...

Oh...

He tried to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was just Ghidorah wanting to ensure he wouldn't try to run off. That was no doubt the case, and the dragon was completely unaware of the implications of insisting he stay in here with them.

Still didn't stop Rodan from feeling immensely uncomfortable and horrified though. Instinct did not care about what logical reasoning he had. As far as it's concerned, the monster that killed his best friend, destroyed his island, stole his volcano, and ordered the destruction of the planet... was totally hitting on him by wanting to share a nest with him!

He hated instinct sometimes.

He finally looked over at them, the utter disbelief etched into his face. They. Can't. Be. Serious.

The stern look on their faces told him they were very serious. Okay. Trying to hide how awkward this was, he had to remind himself repeatedly that Ghidorah is an ALIEN and doesn't know any better and wouldn't care to know any better and that his panic REALLY needed calm down. He let go of the rim above and lowered himself back down to the ground. He would normally sleep in the pool of lava at the center of the nest, but this time he pressed against the opposite wall of the hydra, trying to get as far away from his captor as possible.

Feet tucked beneath him, flight fingers held tight to his body, Rodan buried his beak beneath a wing and tried to relax. Forget the awkwardness, forget the panic and rage and despair. Just give in to the sleep that once plagued his mind.

As if he ever could.

* * *

Ghidorah was pleased by the compliance of their hostage and took particular pleasure by the sudden horror on the pterosaur's face. No doubt, he was hoping to make an escape attempt by crawling out of the volcano and his disbelief that they weren't stupid enough to fall for it was quite amusing. His obvious discomfort as he sat there in his little corner trying to avoid looking at them made it even better.

Ichi wasn't initially intending on resting here, as he wanted to cave in this inner chamber and move on to the mainland where it felt less cramped. But his youngest brother seemed really excited to spend the night here, pointing out how warm it was. Ichi would be lying if he said the idea wasn't appealing to him. After being trapped in ice for who knows how long, the heat of this volcano was a welcomed change.

They moved closer to the lava pool at the center of the nest and settled themselves onto the ground beside it, tails curling around on opposite sides of their body. Their wings were tucked loosely by their sides as they began their nightly routine by grooming themselves.

It was a somewhat interesting sight, seeing this genocidal three-headed dragon engaging in such an unremarkable activity. One might think it was an odd thing, but like the dragons of lore, Ghidorah was a vain creature that took pride into maintaining the luster of their skin. Forked tongues and sharp fangs tended delicately to their golden scales and wing membranes. All three heads worked in unison, Ni and San tending to the wings on their respective sides as well as their tails, Ichi allowing them temporary control over their respective limbs to make the process less of a hassle. Ichi himself was focused on the main body, curling around to take care of their back and sitting up slightly to work on their chest, belly, and legs. Each head then tended to their own necks for as much as they can reach.

At this point, Ni had settled his muzzle onto the tail that was curled on his side, growling softly when Ichi started to groom his horns and face. But the bluff was ignored completely. He always growled when getting his face cleaned and usually doesn't object beyond that. At least not with Ichi; whenever San tried, it would always result in Ni biting him harshly on the snout. But with his older brother, he learned early on to tolerate the face cleaning lest Ichi asserts dominance with a more forceful, much rougher power-groom instead. Better to just get it over with and he shifted slightly to allow his brother proper access to the underside of his jaws and throat. After his grooming session was over and all the dried blood has been cleaned off, Ni stopped growling and closed his eyes.

Ichi moved on to San, who was stretched off to the side examining a particularly glossy black rock. The eldest brother bit into San's neck and gave a firm tug, causing him to cry out but nonetheless he moved towards Ichi for his grooming session. The youngest was much more receptive to the attention than Ni was, letting out soft pleasant purrs and staying still for the most part. His attention would occasionally falter and he would try to wander off back to that rock, but a reprimanding tug on the horn kept him focused.

San was still quite dusty from his incident back at the alien city, so Ichi took extra time to make sure his sibling was spotless. When they were done, Ichi lifted his snout higher and at this cue, San returned the favor by grooming him. Unlike his siblings, Ichi made no sound as he was being groomed, focused mostly on ensuring San didn't miss a spot. But the youngest was diligent in his work and stopped only when Ichi pulled away and growled. The eldest still did not allow San to explore after, hissing at him when he tried.

"Sleep. Now." he ordered, and San knew better than to object. They had a strict routine: sleep comes after grooming, and no more of his little shenanigans to risk getting dirty all over again. Glancing towards the rock, San let out a breath through his nose and settled his snout upon the tail on his side of the body. An unspoken reason why he wanted to stay here was to explore the inner workings of Earth's volcanoes more closely, but as usual, he was being denied. Well, at least he was the closest to the lava pit, all nice and warm. He savored the heat until he drifted off into sleep.

Ichi watched over his younger brothers as they slept, taking the first shift of guard duty for the night. He glanced over at the fire pest, catching their little slave staring at them before hastily closing his eyes and feigning sleep. Foolish creature, probably hoping all three would eventually drift off and allow him an opportunity to escape.

His hopes will be crushed then when he realizes that Ghidorah never truly slept.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter summary: Rodan spends a restless night with Ghidorah and more cross-species miscommunication to torture Rodan with!

* * *

For how exhausted he was, and still is, sleep continued to escape him.

Still sitting against the wall, Rodan barely moved from his position, beak still tucked under his wing. His mind was a muddled mess, and his eyelids felt so heavy. Yet when he closed them for so much as a minute, a deep instinctive panic would grip hold of him and with a skip of a heartbeat, he found himself snapping back awake. It wasn't as if he was convinced the dragon would kill him in his sleep; it's been made clear by now that Ghidorah preferred him alive. Yet the thick blanket of fear surrounding him was too strong to let him drift off, seizing him whenever he dared venture towards unconsciousness. It was the telepathic waves Ghidorah was giving off, he was sure of it. Rodan couldn't even move further to lessen the intensity. It was torment, utter torment.

Ghidorah was still laying by the lava pit, washed with the orange glow that lit up two piercing eyes that would flash in his direction whenever he moved. Otherwise, the wyvern paid him no mind. No words were spoken, the silence broken only by the bubbling of the molten pool. Mostly, the lead head of the monstrous creature was focused on the sky above them, beyond the rim of their volcanic nest.

THEIR nest, Rodan hated that his mind had admitted to that so easily. Hated even more that this was the first time in millennia that he was sharing a nest with someone. Instinct wouldn't let it go, and the sheer awkwardness it brought only made him feel worse. He's been so lonely for thousands of years and when he FINALLY gets someone to accompany him in the volcano, it had to be THEM. It was like a cruel joke the universe was playing on him. He would have preferred the loneliness over this.

He shivered a bit, though he wasn't sure if it was from fear or feeling too cold. He was used to sleeping in the lava pool and he felt so vulnerable without it. Like a security blanket ripped away from him, like he risked death if he didn't sleep within its comforts. A primal instinct, he's sure, from back in the days where predators were a constant threat. Really, Ghidorah probably wouldn't care if he were to go into the pool, and maybe the comfort of the magma would outweigh the fear and let him sleep? But to fall asleep so close to the hydra made him shudder even more.

And so, after several more failed attempts to sleep, Rodan settled on busying himself with preening. He wasn't sure what else to do to pass the time; the alternative would be to try to make conversation, and he'd rather not. Even if the silence was only adding to his discomfort. Unfortunately, some exchange of words between them was inevitable, and he startled when the lead head spoke up in a hushed but firm voice.

"Go to sleep." There was an edge to his voice, like he thought that Rodan was keeping himself awake intentionally and was growing impatient with him. Rodan tried not to look at the dragon, trying to appear nonchalant as he preened his wing fingers.

"I'm not tired," he lied and he wondered if he sounded convincing enough. Either way, the hydra only gave a snort before returning his gaze back to the stars. The pterosaur almost let out a breath of relief, as he didn't want to talk and he certainly didn't want to admit that he was too afraid to go to sleep. Let Ghidorah think he's doing this on purpose, he didn't care.

Rodan wasn't sure how much time has passed since those words were spoken. It was around midnight if he had to wager a guess, when the lead head started nudging San awake. The left head seemed to have been close to stirring anyway, so it didn't take much for him open his eyes and yawn. The right head too seemed to have stirred a bit, but made no effort to rise and instead looked as though he was about to fall back asleep. The active two shared brief conversation that broke the silence, still speaking their odd alien language. Although Rodan couldn't make sense of it, he could tell they were speaking of him, for the lead head gave a pointed nod in his direction. Ni, still not rising, muttered something as if adding to the conversation. Whatever he said had the middle head grunt before shifting their left wing forward to settle his head upon it. He seemed to doze off almost instantly, something Rodan felt envious towards.

No sooner had the middle head settled down than Ni opened his eyes and glared in Rodan's direction, giving a harsh growl. "Sleep."

It surprised the pterosaur certainly; at this point, he just assumed the right head couldn't speak earth's language at all. Although the word was spoken in a tired voice, it still carried a threatening tone laced with hatred. Rodan tried to show he wasn't intimidated by continuing to preen casually. Ni snarled, but said nothing more as he turned away and fell still and silent. The bird kept in a breath of relief; it always felt like he was treading on thin ice with that guy.

San was staring curiously at Rodan, tilting his head a bit before turning away. Like his brother before him, the third head watched the sky above them. But he was prone to distraction even now and after a while, San seemed to have gotten bored and he lowered his head to check that Ni was back to sleep. After a moment, he moved to check on the middle head. Fast asleep. He seemed satisfied and snaked off to the side.

Rodan became more tense. He didn't like how active this one was being compared to the relative stillness of the lead head. But it didn't look like San was interested in him as instead, he explored the nest as much as he could without moving the body too much and risk waking his siblings. The pterosaur watched San like a hawk, not trusting him, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously when San found the chunk of obsidian he was examining before they all turned in for the night. The dragon began sniffing it and pushing it around, letting out a soft purr. Was he... playing? With a rock? He concluded that yes, he was when San began throwing it into the air and catching it again in his jaws.

He never took Ghidorah as being one that would play like this. Granted, it's not as though he spent ample time with the hydra to begin with. Still, he couldn't picture the other two heads being okay with behavior like this, especially when the left head was supposed to be keeping watch. Maybe that's why San took the time to ensure they wouldn't catch him in the act. Rodan wondered what would happen if he were to rat him out...

He froze when the rock eventually landed by him and this spurred the dragon to finally speak up in a soft purring voice.

"Brother Ni told you to sleep," he started as he crept closer to the pterosaur, eyes locked on the rock. "You should do what he says."

"Why does he care?" Rodan hissed in response, mindful to keep his voice down so as not to wake the others. He didn't like the hydra slithering closer to him; it seemed too predatory to his already on-edge instincts. Especially when San finally looked at him, eyes flashing in the lava's light.

"Because Brother Ichi demands it," he told the pterosaur. He nodded towards his slumbering siblings pointedly. "And Brother Ni always makes sure his demands are met. He told us that if you don't sleep when I wake him up, he will choke you until you do." Rodan felt his wings twitch at the threat. San seemed oblivious, smirking as if taking pleasure in these words. "I can do it myself, right now, and Brother Ichi will be happy with me. But Brother Ni thinks of hurting you a lot. I don't know if I should deny him..."

Rodan stiffened when San began to move towards Ni as if threatening to wake him up right here and now and Rodan spoke before he could stop himself. "As if I could." This brought San to a halt and the dragon looked at him from the corner of his eye. He still had that stupid grin on his snout, as if they were playing some sort of game. A sick game where Rodan didn't know any of the rules or what the goal was. All he can do is try to avoid the looming threat of strangulation. So he continued, glaring at the left head. "With how persistent you guys are acting about this, how can I not be suspicious? Why the hell should I sleep?"

"Oh, our slave is so..." He paused, as if trying to think of the right word. "... silly?" San purred in amusement, snickering softly as he nodded to himself. "Yes, silly. Stupid too." At Rodan's growl, he turned fully to look at the pterosaur. "We can do what we want to you, when we want. We don't have to wait for you to sleep, that would be boring." He shook his head. "No. You will sleep now so you don't sleep while you work. Brother Ichi won't be pleased if you're useless."

"Can you just shut up?" was all Rodan muttered. He wasn't sure how he should be feeling about this conversation. San's voice wasn't nearly as harsh as his brethren, almost gentle even. But the darkness in his eyes, the words he was saying, and the threats he was implying didn't match his tone, at all. It was jarring.

"You want to escape us," San continued with certainty, not at all listening to Rodan's comment. "That's why you don't sleep. But you will be awake forever waiting." Rodan said nothing to that, and San let out a soft chuckle as he corrected himself. "Not forever. Just until we kill you."

"You don't scare me." Rodan hissed with eyes narrowed at the predatory look the dragon was giving him, feeling himself falter with that sentence although he tried his best to believe it.

"Then sleep." San called him out. Rodan glared at him, shifting his wings a bit. His pride was making this difficult, not wanting to admit that his fear was what's keeping him awake. Something out of his control. Yet if he doesn't obey, more pain awaits him. He doesn't doubt at all that Ni wanted any excuse to hurt him and thinking back to that conversation they were having, Ichi doesn't seem opposed to the idea of strangling him into unconsciousness. He continued to stare at San as the head gave a soft purr. "Very well."

Rodan hesitated as the dragon went towards Ni again and his words are almost caught in his throat. It was difficult squeezing them out, but he managed it. "I'm trying, alright?"

Again, San stopped and Rodan swallowed his pride, one set of wing claws fiddling a bit with the rock by him.

"You think I want to be awake right now? I've been trying to sleep but YOU won't let me. With this _fake_ fear you've been using." He wanted to emphasize the 'fake'; even now, last thing he wanted was for the hydra to think any of his fear was real. Much less, make _himself_ think his fear was real. Unfortunately-

"Brother Ichi turned it off," San pointed out, grinning wider at Rodan with a gleam in his eyes as if he'd won that unspoken game between them. "There is no 'fake' fear."

...

That bastard...

He turned his eyes away at this point, turned his whole back to the hydra. He was so tired, so paranoid that he didn't even notice the fog of terror no longer existed. When was it turned off? When Ichi fell asleep? Before they had even settled down? Was it all in his mind, where the concept of this serpent sleeping in his nest was so distressing that his pride tricked him into thinking his fear of them had to be fake? The fact that he just unintentionally admitted that he was genuinely afraid of them pissed him off, his frustration growing when he heard the playful chuckle from the dragon.

"Very funny slave."

That comment wasn't helping and he had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing San out. He didn't trust himself not to speak too loud and wake the others. He didn't want to imagine what'll happen if he disturbed their sleep. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to sort through his thoughts. He tried to speak calmly, softly.

"Fine..." he muttered. "You win whatever the hell this is..." He was too tired for this shit and he tossed the rock towards the dragon, whom eagerly snatched it from the air in his jaws.

"As fun as it is," San continued as he placed the rock on the ground, his chuckles fading. "I don't want for Brother Ichi to be displeased with me. You must sleep now, and if you can't, then I or Brother Ni will help you. Pick one."

"I don't need either of you guys' help," Rodan hissed, not looking at him as he turned his attention to the lava pit instead. He was torn: he didn't want to come any closer to them but the consequences of what will happen if he didn't obey echoed in his mind. His best hope to falling asleep was the comfort of the lava, even if it meant he'll be spending the night laying right next to his captor. San watched him curiously as he shuffled closer, likely not expecting this, but he seemed on alert. No doubt he was ready to strike if Rodan pulled anything funny.

But the pterosaur doesn't acknowledge him, steps slow and hesitant as he reached the edge of the pool. Only giving the dragon a glance, he tucked his wings as he slid into the pool. It was barely large enough to fit him, and the lava only reach up his chest as he settled himself down. It didn't matter. Feeling the liquid rock against his armored hide, its effect was almost immediate. Despite the close proximity to the dragon, Rodan felt the instinctive sense of vulnerability leave him. This was what he was used to, rather than sitting in the open inviting whatever imaginary predators were out there to take advantage of him. If he closed his eyes, he could get himself to forget his entire situation.

Setting his chin on the rim of the pool, he was asleep before he even realized it. At least for this one night, this one last night, things can feel normal again.

* * *

There was a small sense of disappointment in San, as he watched the funny little slave fall asleep. A part of him was kinda-sorta hoping he would continue to be difficult, have him resort to waking up his older brother. The left head always found it amusing to watch when his sibling brutally put someone in their place. He should've done that from the start instead of toying with the slave's fear. The thought of waking the bird before stirring Ni crossed his mind, but he discarded it quickly. His bloodlust was strong, but his desire to please his eldest brother was stronger. Ichi wanted the bird asleep, San got him to sleep. The spark of disappointment was smothered in a sense of pride. He finally did something right and the praise he'll get come morning would be worth it, he's sure!

Glancing at the funny slave on occasion, San continued playing with his rock toy. He only had a short time to do whatever he wanted without his brothers reprimanding him; soon, he'll have to turn in for the rest of the night. Of course, distracted as he was, he would still keep watch as he's supposed to do. He would look up towards the sky above every now and again. He didn't like doing it though, mostly because he would get a little homesick seeing all the stars up there. Something he knew his brothers felt as well, even if they wouldn't admit it. Although this planet was very interesting and San had no qualms exploring it for the next thousand years, it didn't mean he wouldn't miss the cold expanse of space during that time, the feeling of utter weightlessness as they moved from planet to planet.

The memory of the distant galaxies awaiting them was almost nostalgic, reminding him of how small he and his brothers really are, but offering limitless possibilities and an eternity to discover those possibilities.

Maybe they have been here too long after all...

Shaking his head, San took the rock and nudged it closer to where he had slept, under the wing Ichi had placed over their left tail. The feeling of sleepiness was taking him again, keeping him on the schedule they adapted to this world. Their sleeping cycle was extremely flexible, as one would expect from all the traveling they did across the universe. They would always rest in shifts, Ni and him alternating every cycle on whom would take up watch after Ichi; that way they would both get uninterrupted sleep every other resting period. Between worlds, this was to ensure they stayed on route, each head steering their body towards their pre-determined destination.

That was another thing San enjoyed: during their travels, he was given full control of the body during his watch. As long as he didn't veer off course too much, he enjoyed the sense of freedom. When they're on a planet though, the presence of gravity meant they had to rest on the ground and his movement was extremely limited as a result. Move too much and he'd wake his siblings, then he'll get disciplined by BOTH of them and that's no fun.

With the rock safely hidden, San moved to awaken his right-sided counterpart, nudging his nose gently against his kin's snout. This got a soft growl; Ni was already stirring on his own. San purred at him, trying to appease his brother's irritation but he only got a snort before Ni rose his head up with a yawn. Almost immediately, he glanced towards where their slave was once resting, and when he saw the spot was empty, he jolted into full alertness and glared harshly towards San with a snarl. The youngest immediately lowered himself and piped up in defense.

"I got him to sleep. See?" He pointed his snout towards the pterosaur. Ni followed his gaze and exhaled sharply when he saw the fire pest motionless in the lava pool by them. San gave another purr, clearly proud of his accomplishment and almost like he was trying to get praise from his older brother. But Ni gives no such praise; San would have better luck getting it from their worst enemy than his own brother. Besides...

Not quite letting San off the hook just yet, Ni slithered towards their slave, checking for himself that the bird was asleep. Wouldn't surprise him if the stupid creature was faking it to escape punishment. San watched silently as Ni examined the slave's face and breaths. After a minute, he placed his jaws around one of the fire pest's crests. He gradually increased the pressure of his bite, getting no reaction whatsoever, even when he bit down hard enough to draw a bit of blood. The bird was knocked out for sure.

San grinned towards his brother, who glared at him before conceding that the bird wasn't faking. He still doesn't acknowledge his younger brother's success as he pulled himself away from the slave.

"See?" San persisted, only to get a harsh bite on his horn.

"Shut up and sleep." his older brother demanded and San knew better than to keep pushing. As hard as his brother was, he knew deep down, Ni was totally proud of him doing something right for once! At least, that's what he tells himself.

"M'kay," San chirped, before he pressed his forehead against his sibling's neck, ignoring the annoyed way he was pushed off. "Goodnight, Brother Ni." He only got a grunt in response and he carefully pushed himself beneath the wing Ichi was sleeping on to return to his original resting spot. Ni gave one last glance towards their slave before focusing his eyes upward, finally left in peace.

Or at least he would be if he didn't hear the sound of something rolling and sliding along the rock floor and he hesitated, narrowed eyes shooting around the cavern floor. He was prepared for an intruder, but alas, his sharp ears quickly pinpoints the source as coming from under their left wing. Peeking underneath, Ni saw that San was playing with a rock instead of sleeping like he was supposed to. Lips curling up in a snarl, he bit into his disobedient sibling's neck harshly, earning a muffled yelp. He glanced towards Ichi, whom only shifted slightly in his sleep before he returned his attention to the youngest.

"Give it to me," Ni snarled in a hushed, but no less threatening voice. San gave a whimper, peeking out from under the wing and looking up at his sibling with sad eyes. The rock was in his mouth and Ni rudely snatched it and crushed it in his jaws, spilling pieces to the ground and spitting out the ones remaining in his mouth into the lava pit. The whines only got louder as San watched the shattered remains of his toy melt and sink into the magma. But Ni wasn't moved by his sibling's distress. "Last time I'm saying this to anyone tonight: Sleep, or I'll do to your skull what I did to that rock."

Still whimpering, San retreated back under the wing and rested his chin on their tail. He really liked that rock too. It had a funny taste and he liked how it caught the light as he rolled it around. But as usual, he never got to keep his toys for long.

His whimpers eventually died down into silence as the night carried on and he drifted back to sleep.

It was a few uneventful hours before the sky began to brighten into a lighter blue as this world turned this tiny island towards its star. The morning was silent, and the sky was still clear of their storm. Ni lowered his gaze towards Ichi as the eldest brother began to stir, reluctantly relinquishing control of the body as the alpha gave a stretch of their wings. The membrane scraped along the side of the volcano nest and this helped rouse the dragon further.

Lifting his head, Ichi gave a yawn and his eyes scanned around the nest as their wings refolded to their original position. His eyes settled on the empty spot the fire pest used to be in but Ni already responded before his sibling could question.

"In the lava." His deep voice lacked the usual harshness it carried towards anyone else he spoke to, instead sounding a bit more respectful if rather monotone. Speaking to his dominant brother was the only time his voice changed in such a way; he didn't like it, but he had long since disregarded the feelings of resentment and jealousy towards his older brother. For the most part anyway.

Ichi glanced towards the pool of molten rock, only slightly surprised to find the bird next to them. Whatever worked in the end, he supposed. He nodded softly. "And how long has he been resting?"

"Some time under San's watch," Ni answered. "I imagine it wasn't too long after we slept."

"Very good." Was the only thing he said before lifting their left wing to see the still sleeping San. He lowered himself to rouse the youngest with a firm snout bump, ripping him from whatever dream he was having in the process. It was always a bit more effort to rouse the little one when he had the second shift, unsurprisingly. But San stirred after a few more nudges, drowsily blinking as Ichi gently cleaned his face. It wasn't a full grooming routine, but it did help his younger sibling wake up that much faster. Plus, he knows San would appreciate it as a reward for doing something right for once.

And he was correct, judging from the happy purrs coming from the youngest's throat. San knew his eldest brother would be pleased, and he savored the moment while it lasted. Praise towards him was always few and far between.

After that short groom, the dragon was back to full alertness and they turned their attention to their slave...

* * *

The first sleep after hibernation was always the most difficult to rouse from, not that he wanted to. Rodan was more than content to stay in his dreams for all eternity, to forget whatever horrors the waking world had to offer. In this dream realm, everything was as it should be. His island was bursting with life, and his best friends were there on the beach with warm smiles to greet him. Mostly warm smiles anyway, Godzilla always was a bit of a stick in the mud during these friendly gatherings. Probably because Mothra would have to wake him up to drag him here, sometimes quite literally by the tail. But Rodan wouldn't have it any other way, as long as the lovable bastard was still alive...

But even this had to come to an end, as an unpleasant scent intruded his nostrils. It was the smell of storms, of lightning. Something alien mixed in. No, he shook his head, not wanting the real world to intrude. But he had no choice as the images fade into blackness and he felt something nudge against his face, an unpleasant hot breath that took that alien scent and intensified it.

It happened before he could even think of stopping himself...

It was just intended to be a warning snap, not even meant to make contact. But he overestimated just how close the annoying nudger still was and his beak closed on warm scaly flesh. He heard the surprised yelp from a high-pitched voice and before he could comprehend what happened, he found himself giving the cry of pain. Sharp teeth dug into the nape of his neck and pulled him violently from his bed of lava. The warmth was gone as his head was shoved into the ground, pinning him and forcing his beak to let go. Instinct overtook him, convinced some predator has snatched him.

He again opened his mouth with a shriek of panic, flapping his wings and flinging lava and embers everywhere. He couldn't fly in here, but the instinct was too powerful. In response to his struggles, he felt his attacker shift to put a foot onto his back to further immobilize him. He heard the anger in the predator's voice as it growled and the pterosaur tried to twist around to push it off. It was useless, and he felt more teeth clamp onto one of his flailing wings, giving a savage shake that tore holes into his armor and the membrane beneath. He dug the claws of his other wing into the ground below to try to drag himself out from under the predator, wincing in pain as the toothy grip on his neck tightened, as did the talons on his back. It was the combination of pain and exhaustion that began to weaken his struggles.

He tried to get a grip on his run-away fight-or-flight response; awareness of his surroundings slowly began to return to him and he opened his eyes to see that his attacker was of the golden space dragon variety. Not a predator, just an asshole. His resistance was only making things worse. After a moment following this realization, he felt the fangs pull themselves from his neck and wing.

Still pinned, he felt one set of those same teeth scrape roughly against him, not nipping or biting. More like a... nibble? A harsh nibble that scraped his armor with uncomfortable force. He blinked as his sleep-deprived mind scrambled over itself to make sense of what was happening. Was Ghidorah trying to gnaw through his armor? Seemed like it, but what sense did that make? Rodan knew from painful experience that the dragon's jaws were more than powerful enough to break through his rocky hide.

Wait...

As the blanket of sleep left him and his mind gained full coherence, he realized that he recognized this gesture. It's been ages since he was last on the receiving end of such an activity, or even engaged in it with another creature to begin with. The last one he shared this with was his mate, the morning before she was gone from his life. It took his brain several more seconds of utter confusion, just to ensure that he was feeling this correctly, but it was unmistakable.

Ghidorah was grooming him!

Why...? What...? How was he supposed to respond to this?! He almost sputtered, unable to make heads or tails over this, but a certain annoying instinct made its return. First Ghidorah wanted to share a nest with him and now, they were preening him! This was no doubt a move at courtship, it lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence! Sure, Ghidorah's timing was off; what, with attacking him beforehand. Granted, Rodan did start it even if it was by accident. Still though, this grooming was a lot rougher than any he's experienced and last he checked, preening didn't involve pinning your partner down. Was Ghidorah trying to be gentle with this, or were they intentionally being forceful out of impatience for Rodan's lack of response?

He still balked at the idea that this monster was trying to court him. The sharing of the nest, he had a logical explanation for, but this... He's got nothing. There was no other reason to preen someone you shared a nest with unless you...

He shuddered, wondering how he can show refusal to Ghidorah's obvious advances without pissing them off. He doubted the dragon was one to take rejection well...

His bloodied wing moved slowly to try to push Ichi's head away tentatively, only for him to get a bite in response and now the nibbles are even rougher than before. Okay, that confirmed it. Ghidorah is not taking 'no' for an answer. Just... His mind scrambled for another alternative. That same instinct that claimed this is courtship helped him out here too. The best he can do is stay frozen, lay here and give no response. That way, Ghidorah doesn't get it in their heads that he was accepting them as a partner without it being too blatant an insult. Among his kind, the lack of a response showed indecision towards the courter, and although Rodan wanted to flat-out reject them, this way would probably end with less bloodshed.

At least, he hoped it would...

* * *

Power-grooming was not something Ichi had to do often. It typically was something he did to his brothers when they show any hint of defiance towards his dominance. Although quite loyal for the most part, Ni was the usual culprit he had to target whenever the short-tempered right head got into one of his bad moods. The most common ways it went down was Ni refusing his nightly face-cleaning, attacking something against Ichi's orders, or even being so brutal in his dominance towards San that Ichi had to interfere. In those cases, the eldest brother had to pin him down and gnaw at his face and neck without any of the tenderness of a regular groom. If there was resistance, biting was quick to fix that.

This behavior helped in preventing an actual fight from breaking out and was as far as Ichi usually had to go with his brothers. Usually.

Of course, it wasn't something he confined to his own siblings; as with many behaviors, this one crossed the borders between species. Sometimes, on rare occasions, they would come across a captive that would seem particularly defiant and would need that extra show of dominance to be put in their place. It seemed to be working in this case, as the fire pest froze very quickly after Ichi gave him that disciplinary bite. That was the desired response Ichi was looking for. Freezing showed submission, and Ghidorah was certain they finally found a technique their slave actually seemed to understand! They made note to employ this method of dominance more often with this one.

Ichi continued to forcibly groom the inferior creature, feeling the little bird flinch when he moved onto his unarmored face. After a full minute of no resistance, the pterosaur seemed to get the message and Ichi gave one last bite on Rodan's beak before pulling away with a stern glare.

The fire pest stared at them with wide eyes but just as their slave began to pull himself onto his claws, Ni lunged forward to headbutt him back onto the ground. Rodan may have submitted to Ichi, but he still needed to learn that he was the very bottom of the hierarchy. The bird started to struggle again, freezing when Ni began power-grooming him as well.

After Ni got his message across with a finishing bite on Rodan's beak just as his older brother did, accompanying it with a growl, San picked up right after him. The fire pest doesn't put up any hint of a struggle at this point, and Ichi let out a snort. Seems their captive finally got it in his thick skull.

San finished up the power-groom with the typical bite on their slave's beak, giving an extra shake to cause more pain. A bit of pay back for biting him in the first place. It was rare he got to show dominance like this to anyone, being the lowest-ranked of the trio. He could only get away with it towards captives; if he tried power-grooming towards his brothers, it would be seen as a challenge and no doubt result in him being attacked. He'd rather not get into a fight like that as dominance battles between heads can be downright brutal. He remembered the first and last time he got into a dominance fight with Ni and what a horrible mistake that was. Never again would he do that, even if it meant being number three for the rest of his life.

With the dominance display over, they stepped off from their slave, allowing him to get up. He was still staring at them, but clearly had nothing to say. Good, about time he shut up. Giving no further acknowledgement towards the fire pest, Ghidorah climbed up towards the exit and settled on the rim. Just as they had a night routine, so too did they have their morning routine. Facing to the east, they settled on their haunches and spread their wings fully. The crisp morning air began to warm as the sun's rays grew stronger over the horizon. Ghidorah was there to greet the star, soaking up its power with literal open arms.

This was the primary method for which they gathered their energy; they absorbed it through the stars. This particular star wasn't as strong as most others, sure, but it was sufficient enough and they could supplement it through other forms of radiation as well as through biological matter. Each individual scale reflected the light in a beautiful display of glimmering radiance. Morning was a time they could admire themselves fully, for as soon as they took flight, this planet's weak atmosphere would obscure the star's rays and the full extent of their skin's golden beauty was hindered.

They heard their slave climb up to the opposite rim behind them, and they glanced back at him to find him still refusing to look at them. Utter submission, just the way they liked it. They kept tabs on their captive as they continued sunning themselves, enjoying the silence of the destroyed island around them. Always a beautiful sight to start the day on. And now to finish it all off...

Getting back up onto their feet, they leapt up from the volcano's rim into the air in one smooth motion, kicking up debris from their take off and forcing their slave to press close to the ground to avoid being blown down the slope. They circled around the volcano, feeling their wings rip apart the air around them and stir up the beginnings of storm clouds.

They gave no warning to the pterosaur, only the glow rising up their throats giving away what their next move will be. All three Gravity Beams meld into one as they struck down at the rim of the volcano. Explosions of rock and dirt fling into the air and slide down into the cavern they once rested in. They heard a loud screech from their slave, one full of anger and despair. But the bird did nothing to stop them, -as if he could-, only staying where he was as he watched his nest fall apart in front of him.

The dragon had to avoid hitting him with their powerful attacks, lest they accidentally kill him. No way did they want to end his miserable little life so mercifully. More Gravity Beams bombarded the volcano's summit, causing more damage than any eruption it could naturally withstand. The once mighty volcano that birthed this island could not hold up to this alien force and soon, it caved in on itself. With a deafening roar signifying its collapse, the magma-warmed nest and the entrance leading into it was now non-existent.

Ghidorah finally ceased their attack, looking over their work with pride and satisfaction. Below them, the bird crept slowly towards the ruined summit of the volcano, visibly defeated in his slumped posture and pathetic cries. But they had no intention of giving him time to mourn over this, for they had more important matters to attend to.

"Slave," Ichi barked down at the pterosaur, who glared up at them with particular seething hatred. Ni returned the glare, whilst San chuckled. Ichi himself kept his cold expression, giving a sharp nod towards the west. "Mainland. Now."

The fire pest clearly didn't want to leave, but they were giving him no other choice in the matter. After a moment, he spread his fire-edged wings and joined them in the air reluctantly. He held the slightest of limps in his injured wing and they could hear the grumble coming from his beak. Ni gave him a sharp nip on the tail when Rodan tried to circle around behind them, causing the pest to snap around at them with a hiss.

"Up front where we can see you." Ichi ordered firmly, silencing their captive's hiss by glaring him down and Rodan pulled up ahead with a scowl. The dragon was strategic in their positioning, flying above and slightly behind their captive. Should he foolishly attempt to make a break for it, they would know and could strike him down with ease before he got far. Better yet, it was a natural blindspot for the bird and it was quite amusing to see him fidget nervously and glance back at them with obvious distrust every so often.

With the silence broken only by the powerful beating of wings and the boom of thunder around them from the growing hurricane, they made their way towards the mainland.


End file.
